Im waiting for a 100mm stem to arrive but at this stage I would say the stem will be getting slammed! I needed the longer top tube of the XL.. but with that comes the high head tube and less standover.This is my first experience with Avid brakes, the lever shape will take a bit of getting used to! Took the bike out for 20km earlier today and enjoyed it, for such a large bike its very willing.... Also got my scales out and could hardly believe the weight of it..... 12.3kg with pedals

I took it for a ride in the morning, I had so much fun that after coming home for some lunch I went back out in the afternoon. It's a big leap up from my old hardtails! Today I was riding parts of the trail that I never could before, now to get some actual skills so I can ride it properly.

I'm not suprised it handles and stops better than the old Dura Carbon, but I was surprised that it hardly feels any heavier (although I haven't weighed them). I always thought a dualie would be as heavy as a truck

Back to the future.I spent 2 years or so where the only bike I had was a rigid SS 29er. Man I was fit.Went through a few geared bikes and a dually since.Today I pulled the gears off my Blacksheep, added a ti truss fork and went and rode the snot out of it.

A new bike for the stable. The Scaffold has been retired and this is filling its place as a day to day hack trainer to support the Anthem X. It's a 2012 Cannondale Trail SL2 and, of course, a 29er.

It was supposed to be a Fuji Nevada 1.0 but the local distributor appears to have had 'issues' and the order was not fulfilled despite two weeks of waiting. So the LBS sold me this one for $900...which, given the fact that I haven't seen one for under $1,500, seemed to be a good deal. Rockshox Recon Silver fork, SRAM X5 driveline, Avid Juicy 1 brakes...

I've already swapped the back wheel for the Giant Anthem rear wheel with its DT Swiss DT350 rear hub and dropped 200 gm off the weight....

sumgy wrote:Back to the future.I spent 2 years or so where the only bike I had was a rigid SS 29er. Man I was fit.Went through a few geared bikes and a dually since.Today I pulled the gears off my Blacksheep, added a ti truss fork and went and rode the snot out of it.

A lady at work who has a nice entry level roadie decided she wanted to get involved in the "Tour de Rocks" (from Armidale to Port Macquarie). She showed up on what I think was the worst bicycle shaped object I have seen in some time - a Repco dual suspension bike that weighed about 20kg and was seriously under gunned for the proposed trip).

Between myself and a buddy we cobbled the apollo together - the frame had a borked head tube (ovalised) which my buddy inadvertently sorted out when he tried to adapt a set of cartridge bearings into the head tube with a machined adapter. I suggested we try an FSA "The Pig" instead - nice long head cups which get around imperfect head tube problems with ease (I highly recommend the Pig if you are having headset issues - they are simple but strong).

The rest of it was stuff I have raced on but had a hankering to upgrade - I've done three events on those cycling deal wheels and I broke enough spokes that I decided they are OK for a lighter rider but useless under me. Under her they'll be fine. The Suntour SR XCR-RL coil fork is actually really good and I'll probably just buy another one for myself when I get around to rebuilding my own bike. This little Apollo is actually nicer than my own frame but it's too small for me - awesome tip shop find though. It's a little ripper of a bike and I'm really struggling with the concept of giving it to her.

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

Nah, all the LX 9 speed stuff is going onto my Norco - the Apollo has 8 speed off that bike which seemed appropriate because the apollo frame has a prominent "24 speed" decal. I have to wait another couple of weeks for my fun bucket to refill before I order a fork so I can rebuild the Norco into a 9 speed uber-XC bike for the Walcha mountain team challenge later in the year. Bought a set of Fulcrum Red Metal 10 from Wiggle, all your stuff and a few other bits and pieces, it should be a superb long distance hardtail when it's done.

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

Nah, all the LX 9 speed stuff is going onto my Norco - the Apollo has 8 speed off that bike which seemed appropriate because the apollo frame has a prominent "24 speed" decal. I have to wait another couple of weeks for my fun bucket to refill before I order a fork so I can rebuild the Norco into a 9 speed uber-XC bike for the Walcha mountain team challenge later in the year. Bought a set of Fulcrum Red Metal 10 from Wiggle, all your stuff and a few other bits and pieces, it should be a superb long distance hardtail when it's done.

That must be the Mark IV version of that Norco, I look forward to the pictures when it's done

drubie wrote:I have to wait another couple of weeks for my fun bucket to refill before I order a fork so I can rebuild the Norco into a 9 speed uber-XC bike for the Walcha mountain team challenge later in the year.

drubie wrote:I have to wait another couple of weeks for my fun bucket to refill before I order a fork so I can rebuild the Norco into a 9 speed uber-XC bike for the Walcha mountain team challenge later in the year.

Sounds like an interesting event. What's the course like?

Mixture of paddocks, rock gardens, fire trails, open dirt roads (big fast section in the middle) and a few mud bogs on the edge of the national park. Half way is the most amazing gorge view where you can stop and grab a fresh bottle of water (or, in my case, throw up) and gaze at natures wonders. One particularly memorable section went up the edge of a turnip field which was the slipperiest thing I've ever seen.

It's a charity event for the local Westpac Helicopter - you need a team of 3 and you get a choice of distance. I recommend it highly, although I don't recommend camping the night before and doing a pub crawl through Walcha before the event because "your body will hurt you" as the classic saying goes.

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

drubie wrote: ...snip...Great story......snip... The Suntour SR XCR-RL coil fork is actually really good and I'll probably just buy another one for myself ..snip..It's a little ripper of a bike and I'm really struggling with the concept of giving it to her.

Any ideas where i might find one of these forks for sale and what a good price is? Ebay I am guessing.

On sale at the moment - at $119 posted they are a perfectly good event fork. I've bought things from "speedpark" before and they generally arrive within a fortnight or so to country NSW.

Mightn't be as good as an air fork but my buddy has a Marzocchi entry level fork and the Suntour is, frankly, better.

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

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